Twice
by That Girl55
Summary: But how do you tell someone who you love that the baby brother she has been raising for four years, is the heir to the Goblin Throne, and needs to return to the Underground? Easy, you take them with you. -Title credit goes to Little Dragon-
1. Chapter 1

**_Wipe the white golden dust into these broken hands, _**

**_must depend on a friend that will understand._**

**_Like the glitter making love to the gleam, just remember_**

**_things aren't always what they seem. _**

**_-Troubled Minds, Marina and the Diamonds_**

* * *

Sarah groaned, forcing her eyes to open and look at the little boy jumping up and down on her stomach.

"Toby, gentle!" she cried, but quickly grabbed the four year old and laid him in bed next to her, attacking him with tickles. "What are you doing up so early, mister?"

"There was a man in my room." Toby said simply, but it made Sarah freeze.

The new apartment wasn't on the best side of town, but it was one of the better ones Sarah could get for the money she was making. It was a two bedroom, at least, something that Toby wanted. But living here had caused more problems than she had imagined, as it had gotten around that she was some kind of single mother, and everyone seemed to think she was an easy target. If it wasn't for Billy, her neighbor, her apartment would have been successfully broken into at least seven times by now, but luckily they only got in once before.

"It wasn't Billy, was it?" Sarah asked. The six-foot-eight neighbor was an ex-basketball player, and had made himself Sarah and Toby's best friend. He was with them most of the time, and was the first guy Sarah would call if she needed a babysitter. Surely, Toby would have recognized him.

"No, he was shorter than Billy, but taller than you." She bit her lip.

"Is that why you came to wake me up? Did he say anything to you? Is he still there?" Sarah said, shuffling to get Toby off her lap and reaching for the baseball bat she kept beside her bed.

"No, he just stood there."

"Okay, well you wait here, Tobes, and I'll go check it out, okay?" Toby nodded, giving his sister a smile.

She walked to the bedroom across the hall, Toby's room, and prayed silently that it was just Toby having a nightmare, just some well-placed clothing on a chair or something. When she walked into the room, it was empty.

Toby's room was boring, with no posters or pictures on the walls, only a small toddler-sized bed (that Toby would soon grow out of, and she'd have to find money to replace), a chair, and a dresser decorated the room. The boy's toys were piled up in a corner, because Sarah had yet to find the money or time to get him a toy box, but a few items were strewn out across the floor. With a sigh, Sarah started picking them up.

"It's alright, Toby, you can come in." She said. "Whoever he was, he's gone now. But if he comes again, you tell me right away, okay?"

Toby nodded, looking at her brightly.

"Can I play with my trains?"

"It's four in the morning on a Sunday, Toby." He gave her a questioning look, and Sarah only sighed. It looked like they wouldn't be getting any more sleep today then.


	2. Chapter 2

**_"And I've always lived like this_**  
**_Keeping a comfortable distance._**  
**_And up until now I have sworn to myself_**  
**_That I'm content with loneliness_**

**_Because none of it was ever worth the risk."_**

**_-The Only Exception, Paramore _**

* * *

Sarah left home with Toby a week after she turned eighteen, as soon as she got all the money together. Her mother, who wasn't a nice person to begin with, had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her, that the people in Hollywood couldn't know she had a daughter. And her father wasn't bad in the beginning, but Linda, her stepmom, pushed him to new bounds. Always meeting new people, always drinking and gambling. They were so happy, but Sarah wasn't-and more importantly, Toby wasn't.

Three weeks before Sarah turned eighteen, child services had been called on the Williams. Her parents had been fighting out in the driveway, both of them more than a little drunk, and one of the neighbors had called the police, which had reported the situation to child services. For now, they deemed the situation appropriate, but they had made sure to mention that they would be returning shortly. So Sarah started planning, desperate to take her brother to some place safe, some place he could be raised like a normal child. Even if being raised by your big sister wasn't the norm, at least he would have a better life than if he stayed with Linda and her dad.

Sarah didn't have a lot saved up, but there were jobs in the city, she'd heard. So she moved from the drab Virginian town to Ocean City, Maryland-where things were cheap and the jobs were plenty, to say the least. Living in a tourist trap wasn't exactly her dream, but neither was raising her younger brother. And besides, that's where the jobs were for the young, inexperienced high school graduates. And the beach was right there too; Sarah loved the beach.

Toby was going to preschool, so Sarah could head off to work at this tiny little bookstore, just off the boardwalk. The couple who owned it were older, and they absolutely didn't like Toby. It was difficult for her to believe that someone didn't like her little sibling, but she couldn't lose the job, not when it paid so well.

She ran into Billy on her way out of the complex.

"Hey, Bill!" She said, calling over the large twenty-six-year-old man. He was six-foot-seven or eight, and he weighted over two hundred and fifty pounds. He was a massive guy, a big basketball player before he got injured during a game. Still, he was living off pension money from the state, and had saved up enough playing pro to last him a while. He sometimes picked up odd jobs, but Billy didn't like to work. It's not that he was lazy by any means, but he liked to put his energy into other things. Despite his leg injury, he could apparently bench the most in the small community gym he attended every day, like clockwork, from nine to five.

"What's up, Sarah?" He smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "And Toby, how's the big man? You ready to go up against me in basketball, yet?"

Toby giggled as Billy knelt down to his height, hiding behind Sarah's legs.

"Are you just now getting in?" Sarah asked him, taking in his beach attire.

"Yeah," he grinned, blushing. "It's spring break season, you know? Lots of young girls, lots of fun parties...you should get in on it sometime."

"I can't, you know why." She said, nodding at Toby. "I don't think I'd like it that much, anyways. But listen, did you hear or see anything, last night or this morning?"

"I can't say I did. Did something happen, Sarah?" He put a long arm around her.

"Toby said there was someone in his room last night, a man. It...it could have been nothing, honestly. I didn't see anything when he came in to tell me about it. I just wanted to let you know, so you could...could you just tell me if you see anything, weird or odd?"

Billy let out a big laugh.

"Yes, Sarah, if I see anyone breaking into your apartment, I'll let you know." He placed a hand on my shoulder reassuring me. "Seriously though, I'll keep an eye out. You headed to work?"

"Thanks, and yeah. I've got to drop Toby off at Wonderland and then I'm gonna head over to Masons New & Used Books." Billy nodded.

"I'm headed to the gym." He smiled. "No surprise there. But I'll let you know if I hear anything. Stay safe, okay?"

I nodded, saying goodbye to the guy and gripping Toby's hand tighter. I knew there was no real reason to be afraid, Billy always made things seem more dramatic then they are, but I couldn't help but feel anxious.

Something was going to happen, I could feel it.


	3. Chapter 3

**"And burned out flames**

**Should never reignite."**

**-Twice, Little Dragon**

* * *

Jareth had been hiding in Toby's closet the whole day, being unable to fly around as an owl during the daytime without it being odd. He'd caught a glimpse of Sarah today, and god, how she had grown up.

She walked into the room like an adult, wielding a bat that he might have let her use against him as long as he was allowed one more glimpse of her. Granted, it had been three years since the two had seen each other, and a teenage girl can grow a lot in three years. She hadn't gotten taller, but the girl seemed to be all legs. She wasn't thin, but muscular, athletic. Her eyes and her hair, those things hadn't changed. Her eyes were still a piercing color, an intelluctual gleam in them, even though he knew she had given up her bright future of being a teacher, or a writer, or anything she wanted to be, really. And her hair, that too stayed the same. It fell in straight lines down her back, although the ocean air had made it wavier and the sun had lightened it a little, it looked as if it hadn't grown since the last time he saw her.

Toby, had grown even more than Sarah. he was walking on his own now, talking on his own too. He was an animated and shy little boy, the perfect goblin prince. Jareth reminded himself why he was here. When Sarah had walked the labyrinth, his labyrinth, he had been so confident she wouldn't make it, so confident that she would have given up. But he couldn't lose her, not like that.

So he went through the process of making Toby Williams his heir, the next in line for the Goblin Throne. That way, if Sarah had lost, he would make her an offer. She could go home empty-handed, or she could stay and become Goblin Queen, for her little brother was the prince.

But Sarah had won, something that had never been done before, and by then he had run out of ideas. He'd throw all his goblins in the bog, give up the throne, turn human-anything to keep the girl his. yet time and time again, she had turned him down, instead taking Toby and leaving.

He was broken, but he did not show it. He took the time to rebuild himself, to get over the beauty that was Sarah Williams, and then he would return to the human world-her little brother was his heir, after all.

He didn't even expect her to be there, he thought she'd be off at college or living on her own, and her baby brother would be living with his stupid, naive parents. Of course he wanted to hurt Sarah, but he never wanted to hurt her this bad.

How do you take away a child from someone who has been raising him for five years?

"Easy," Jareth thought aloud. "You take them with you."

And so the plan was hatched.


	4. Chapter 4

**_"If being strong is what you want_**

**_Then I need help here with this feather."_**

**_-Swingin Party, Lorde _**

* * *

Sarah parked the noisy Toyota outside her apartment building. She took Toby's hand, giving Billy, who was sitting out on his balcony, a wave.

She walked inside her apartment. It wasn't a big place, rather small compared to most standards, but she loved it here. The four-room apartment had been more of a home to her and Toby than was the big Victorian house in Virginia. You walked right into the kitchen, which Sarah kept clean, but could do nothing about the outdated appliances. There was a break in the tile, and then there was a carpeted living area in which Sarah kept a little second hand couch and a large, bulky TV that Billy had given her. The cable on it was out, and it only played movies, but when you had a collection of films like Toby did, that wasn't a problem. Breaking off the living room was a short hallway; Sarah's bedroom was on the right, and Toby's was on the left. The only bathroom in the whole place was the master bath, and so anybody who had to use it had to walk through Sarah's bedroom. It wasn't a preferable situation, but for the rent it was a good place. And she couldn't complain about the neighbors, either.

"So, Prince Toby, what would you like for dinner?" She asked, laughing as the boy yanked open the fridge.

"Chicken nuggets?" He asked, making Sarah giggle.

"We had those yesterday!" Sarah laughed, opening the cabinet next to her. "Alphabet soup? We can make words with the letters after..."

Toby nodded eagerly, he couldn't wait to get to school, much like Sarah at that age. He ran over to the TV, probably going to put in The Black Cauldron or Scooby Doo or some second-hand movie Sarah had gotten for him, but instead he froze, staring at the couch.

"Sarah," Toby said, making Sarah look up from the soup on the stove. "The man is back."

"What?" Sarah said, rushing over to Toby and wrapping her arms around him.

The face of the man lounging on the couch was a familiar one, as was the thin grin he wore on his face.

"Hello, precious." The man said, standing up and rising to his full height in the blink of an eye. Sarah stood as well, and despite her growth, the Goblin King still towered over her. "Do you remember me, Toby?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed, and she took a step in front of the boy.

"Toby, how about you go to your room and play, okay?" Sarah said, and the boy stepped away from her, as if debating running to his room scared, but then stepped back between his sister and the King, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips.

"No! You're not going to hurt Sarah, Mister!"

"Toby!" Sarah yelled, crouching down to his level as Jareth laughed. She gave him a menacing look before crouching down to Toby's height, placing her hands on his shoulders. "He's not going to hurt me, he's not going to hurt you. He's not like Daddy was, he's...he's like Billy, okay? I just want to talk to him, you'll get bored really quick if you stay, understand? So please, can you just go play?"

Toby sighed, giving Sarah a tight hug and the Goblin King an ugly look, before retreating to his room.

Sarah turned to the king, who was lounging on her couch once more, not looking intimidating but...but curious.

"It's nice to know someone's taking care of you, or trying to, at least." Jareth said. "Such a brave little boy, just like his beautiful big sister."

Jareth ran a hand over her face, caressing her cheek with his hand. Sarah grimaced, pulling away from him. Just as quickly as it came, the hand was pulled back.

"Why are you here?" She asked, walking over to the kitchen and tending to the soup. If Toby was hungry, nothing would distract him for long. "I beat you, Jareth, I won your game."

"And that is why you must come back."

"What?" She said, dropping the can of soup in her haste. Jareth caught it midair.

"Sarah, what on earth are you doing?"

"Toby wants dinner...don't avoid this! Why do you have to take me back? What will become of Toby?"

"While you were running the labyrinth, i took a certain..._liking_...to the boy."

"What does that mean, you decided to turn him into a prettier goblin?"

"Sarah, your baby brother is the heir to the Goblin Throne."

"_What?" _

Sarah's head was spinning. The very land she tried so hard to get her brother out of, he was going to be king of it someday.

"You can't take him from me!" She said, her voice getting louder, more urgent.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." He moved to carry her towards a chair, and she didn't fight him. Jareth thought only of how soft she was, of how nice her body felt beneath his. If they could ever move past their differences..._no, _he told himself. _You will not fall in love with her, not again._

But it was quite possible his love for her never left.

He decided to move Sarah to the couch instead, to lay her down.

"Sarah, Precious, I wouldn't dream of that. He must learn how to be king, however, and that involves him being raised in the Goblin Kingdom."


	5. Chapter 5

_**"You've built your walls so high**_

_**No one could climb them."**_

_**- Beneath Your Beautiful, Labrinth **_

* * *

Toby walked into the room, looking for the alphabet soup Sarah had promised him. Instead, he found his big sister laying down on the couch, the tall man leaning over her.

He ran at the man, his little fists poised for a fight, and started beating on his leg.

"Ouch, Toby!" The man said suddenly, crouching down and picking up the little boy. "Stop fighting me, I want to talk to you."

_You're trying to reason with a child, _a voice said, _that's worse than reasoning with the goblins._

But Toby did stop, and put his little fists down.

"What did you do with my sister!" He yelled angrily.

"Nothing, she, uhm, fell asleep."

Toby's eyes grew wide, and his mouth formed an O. He started to punch the Goblin King again.

"No! No, Momma said that's what happened to Grandpa, that he fell asleep. I want Sarah to wake up, i do!"

"Oh, oh no, Toby! it's not that kind of sleep, it's the kind of sleep where you dream, the kind of sleep that usually happens at night, understand?"

"oh," Toby said.

"Toby," Jareth sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table with Toby still in his arms. "I couldn't hurt Sarah Williams if I tried."

"That's good, isn't it?" Toby said, his eyes wide and questioning again. Jareth sighed, remembering why he was here.

"I'll ask you once again, Toby, do you remember me?"

"Uhm, not really."

"My name is Jareth, I am the-"

"Goblin King! Sarah reads the book to me!"

"Yes, that's right. Well, in the book, the pretty older sister wishes away her little brother, but then she runs my labyrinth to get him back?"

"I know." Toby said innocently.

"But, did you know that really happened? Sarah accidentally wished you away, when she was reading you the book."

"She fought the lab-inth to come get me, didn't she?" Toby said, his eyes wide with fear. He wouldn't understand, Jareth realized, not until he was in the Goblin Kingdom. To him, this was all just some bedtime story.

"Yes, she did. And, while she was crossing the labyrinth, I grew to like you, Toby. And, just in case your sister did not pass my Labyrinth, I took extra precautions-er, steps-to make sure I could keep you with me."

"Like?"

"Toby, just as I am the Goblin King, you are the Goblin Prince."

"...Does that make Sarah the Goblin Queen, then? 'Cause she's like my mother, she has been since we left my real mother, honest. And you can be like my father, right, Goblin King?" Toby said, his words slurring with excitement.

"Well, uhm..." Jareth fought for the correct words.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Sarah said, rising slowly from the couch.

"Of course you do, Sarah Mine." Jareth said as Toby hopped off his lap and ran to his sister. "You could stay here, in the human world, and I could take Toby with me..."

"No!" Both siblings screamed at the thought of being separated.

"Well then, to the Goblin Kingdom with the three of us, then."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait on this. I actually wrote a really long, detailed chapter (long for me, at least!) and my computer screwed up and I lost it :( but don't worry, I'll rewrite it! Anyways, thanks for all the favorites and reviews, especially to Fairyfinder and ClockworkOwl13-I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing it! xx. **

* * *

_**"Well, maybe I'm a crook for stealing your heart away  
Yeah, maybe I'm a crook for not caring for it  
Yeah, maybe I'm a bad, bad, bad, bad person  
Well, baby, I know.**_

And these fingertips  
Will never run through your skin  
And those bright blue eyes  
Can only meet mine across the room filled with people that are less important than you."

_**-Love Love Love, Of Monsters and Men**_

* * *

Sarah didn't realize it until later on, when she was packing Toby and her clothing. Jareth was out in the living room, watching The Black Cauldron with Toby on the couch, and telling him stories of what it was like being the Goblin King

"Jareth," Sarah said, holding her breath as she walked into the living room. Jareth was sitting up on the white couch, watching the movie mindlessly, and Toby was asleep beside him. "I can't go with you. We have a life here, Toby and me. He goes to daycare, and I work. I have friends, I have people who will notice, people who will worry, if the two of us suddenly go missing. And Billy, oh god, Billy would never forgive himself. He'd-"

"Who is Billy?" Jareth said, silently cursing himself for the way it came out. It was supposed to sound cruel, menacing, but instead it sounded desperate and pleading.

"Billy's our next door neighbor. He watches over us, Toby and me. Makes sure nobody breaks into the apartment, keeps an eye on Toby while I'm out. He's an old basketball player, but he got a pretty bad injury and can't play anymore, so he-"

"What's basketball?"

"Oh right. You know, Jareth, sometimes I forget what world you're from." Sarah ran a hand across the couch where Toby was sleeping. "He's so peaceful when he sleeps, so quiet. He's only like that when he's asleep."

Jareth nodded, smiling. Only minutes ago had Toby been awake, eagerly telling him about the origin of the Sword and the Stone, and of King Arthur and Camelot.

"You've done such a good job with him." Jareth said, his mind quickly returning to the matter at hand. "That's why you have to come with us, Sarah. He's a little boy, he's not done growing up yet. You can raise him, Sarah, just as you have been doing here-"

"Then why must I do it in the Goblin Kingdom!" She yelled, though quiet enough not to wake Toby.

"Because, Sarah, he is the Goblin Prince! The Goblins won't accept a King who has not lived a day in their kingdom, much less their world."

"And you cannot produce another heir? Chose another child who was wished away to inherit the throne instead?"

"Sarah," Jareth let out a groan, and she swiveled on her feet, walking towards her bedroom.

"I'm going to go take a shower. Leave Toby, I'll get him to bed later. And Jareth," she turned to him, her eyes holding some sort of softness towards him. "You can stay here tonight, if you want. On the couch, of course."

He nodded, sitting back down beside Toby. He wanted to run a hand through the boy's hair, to hold Toby, as just having him in his arms was comforting. The boy was so sweet and trusting, so innocent. It was almost as if Toby hadn't suffered through any of the childhood Sarah had pulled him out of, as if he had no recollection of another mother, another place, another house. Toby had run into Jareth's arms the second he swore he hadn't hurt his sister-so trusting, so easily misled.

Sarah was never like that, he could tell. Everything to her was a challenge, everything worth having had to be fought for. There was no fun for Sarah, no games. She had solved his labyrinth, he had offered her his hand in marriage, and he wanted to take her back to the Goblin Kingdom, to have her raise her brother as a prince, no less. He had been so generous, he had told her that time and time again, but Sarah only wanted more.

He promised he wouldn't fall for her this time, wouldn't fall and land in the traps she had made for the labyrinth that led towards her heart.

Instead, he omitted a chuckle that broke the silence of the night, and his thin lips spread into a wide smile.

Oh yes, this love would be his downfall after all.


	7. Chapter 7

_**"And I'll cross oceans, like never before**_  
_**So you can feel the way I feel it too**_  
_**And I'll mirror images back at you**_  
_**So you can see the way I feel it too."**_

_**-Shelter, The Xx**_

* * *

When Sarah got out of the shower, she found Toby already asleep in his bed.

"Jareth," She called, but got no answer. He was already asleep on the couch. "Thank you," she whispered, before heading to bed herself.

Sarah didn't usually dream, and when she did, it was of the Labyrinth.

She dreamed of Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus, that she could sometimes talk to them, even without having to look through the mirror. Granted, she did that often too, but not as much as she had her hands full with Toby, and working and everything. Besides, she wanted him to have nothing to do with the labyrinth. Sarah wanted her baby brother to have as normal of a childhood as possible while being raised by your big sister...until now, when Jareth decided to show up in her apartment and demand to take him back as the Goblin Prince, of course.

And, who was she kidding, Sarah knew in the end she'd have no choice but to go with them.

As she thought this, her dreams took on a new perspective altogether.

_Sarah woke up in a lavish bed, the covers beside her brushed aside and daylight gently streaming through her windows. Rolling out of bed, she noticed Jareth in front of a large dresser, shrugging on one of his white poets shirts. She wandered over to her own closet, donning a satin (or was it silk?) bathrobe and a pair of low-heeled shoes. _

_"Where are you off to today, love?" She asked Jareth, as he crossed the room to say goodbye to her._

_"Ah, the usual. Royal decrees, records, and the short sitting in at the courthouse." She giggled as he leaned down, pulling her into a kiss. _

_"So, you'll be home by five then?" _

_"Maybe earlier, we'll see how bored I get." He sent her a wink before kneeling down, and Sarah laughed as he planted a loud kiss on her stomach. "Goodbye, little baby. Daddy loves you."_

_Jareth then hurried out of the room, Sarah right behind him. They went opposite directions in the hallway, him going to his study, and her going to Toby's room. _

_"Rise and shine, Tobes!" She said, shaking the little ten-year-old prince. "Come on, so we can go wake up your sister."_

_"I'm up!" Toby groaned, rolling out of bed. "Go get her, I can handle myself."_

_"I'm already up, Mommy!" A little girl said, bouncing into the room with a smile on her face as she hugged her mother tightly. The girl was absolutely stunning, with Sarah's greenish-blue eyes and Jareth's stark white hair. _

_"I can see that." Sarah smiled at Toby as he went into the closet to get dressed. "Hurry up, Tobes," She added, "The baby is hungry."_

Sarah woke up with a start, breaking out in a sweat.

Was this what was to happen if she went to the Goblin Kingdom, if she stayed with Jareth? It couldn't be, she wasn't even remotely attracted to him.

Well, maybe when she was fifteen...but even then, Sarah had been more rational than romantic, more realistic than imaginative. She wanted her baby brother back, and there was nothing a simple crush was going to do to change that.

But now...now things were different. Now he loved her, she could see it in his eyes, and she wasn't sure she was capable of love anymore, not when she saw what her parents had gone through.

She could leave tomorrow, run off into the goblin-filled sunset with him, and never want to marry him, never feel the need to receive a kiss, or a touch from him. The emotion had long ago been blocked off by the falling apart of two different marriages, by the desperation of two different women.

Love was no stranger to Sarah, she had felt it many times towards Toby, towards Billy, even. She had not felt it for Tommy Crist, when he slept with her in the back of his parent's Corolla on the night of prom. She had not felt it for any of the men who had come into the bookstore, looking for a date.

Sure, like every girl, she had an image of what the perfect man would look like-and he did look an awful lot like Jareth. But even in her wildest dreams she hadn't been in love with this man, hadn't wanted to be with him in any way but sexually...until now, that is.

A lot of weird things were happening lately, and Sarah would just have to learn to adjust.

She pulled herself back under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. She couldn't think straight now, couldn't think of anything more but the feel of Jareth's lips on her's, the flutter of their baby beneath her belly.

Things would be clearer in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

_**"So now we live beside the pool**_

_**where everything is good."**_

_**-Buzzcut Season, Lorde**_

* * *

The next morning, Toby sat at the kitchen table, Jareth pouring him a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning," Sarah groaned, sitting down across from the little boy.

"Sleep well?" Jareth asked, and Sarah shot him a dirty look.

"Actually, we all need to talk." Sarah's head was pulsing-she had been up thinking about this for half the morning. "Toby, Jareth told you you're a...a prince, right?"

"Yeah, cool, right Sarah?" He said, making both Toby and Sarah smile.

"Jareth is going home today, Tobes. Would you like to go with him?" She avoided looking at Jareth, instead only staring at the little boy, who looked back at her just as intently.

"Yeah!" he jumped up, screaming and giggling. He ran over to hug Jareth, and then Sarah. "Wait, you'll be coming too, right Sarah?"

She swallowed her pride, her fear. When in fact her fear was what had been making her do this from the start. The fear of falling in love, of having her walls broken down, by a man who she felt something for. But that something, that unidentifiable feeling, could not be love. For she could not love, not like that, at least. But she didn't want to see him hurt, didn't want to have Toby watch the two of them fall apart, like his parents did, like her parents did.

"No, Toby, i don't think I'll be coming with you."

Toby's face fell, but it was Jareth who spoke first.

"Sarah," he said firmly, standing up quickly and cupping her face. He had done something to them, and they were now in Sarah's bedroom. The door shut by itself, probably so Toby couldn't hear them. "You can't do this, he needs you."

"Then he can come visit on weekends, we'll work something out." She averted her eyes from him, like she always did when she told lies. Gone was the strong girl who beat the labyrinth, the girl from last night, and in her place was a scared child, so lost and not so unlike the ones who were wished away to him.

"My son won't be raised like that!" Jareth boomed, and Sarah's eyes formed slits, her power within her once again.

"Your son? No, Jareth, that's where you make your mistake. Toby is not yours-hell, he's not even really mine in anything but law. But I love him, he is my blood and my little brother. And where does that put you? Right back at square one, wiping the snot off little have-nots' noses." She had tried to intimidate him, to push him back against the wall, to corner him, but he stood his ground. Instead, she had only succeeded in breaching his personal space.

"He's mine as much as he is yours, and you can't make him chose between us." Jareth said, his own eyes burning bright with anger. He couldn't lose Toby, and he couldn't lose her.

"The choice has already been made, can't you see that? You won, Jareth. I beat your labyrinth, but you won Toby, don't you see? I'm admitting you're right, I'm telling you to take him. Uhm, I wish the goblins would come and take Toby away, right now? Does that make things any more clear?"

Jareth grinned, suddenly realizing where this was going. Quickly, while she was distracted, he grabbed her wrists, pinning her up against a wall.

"You're scared."

"Yeah, for you. You're the one with the little terror now."

"You're lying." He gritted his teeth, so close that Sarah could feel his breath on her neck. "You loved that little boy, you fought the labyrinth for him, you turned down your biggest dream for him."

"Jareth," She laughed. "I don't even remember what my biggest dream was at fifteen."

"Oh, but I do. It was to be loved, to be treasured, and held as an equal. 'love me, fear me, and I will be your slave?' isn't that everything you've ever wanted, someone to take care of you, better than your parents did. You turned me down, you said no, all for that stupid baby. And here we are now, Sarah, and you're throwing it all away again." He drew back, realizing how scary and desperate he must seem. He let go of her, retreating to pacing around her instead. "And now, now I'm offering you everything. The baby, the castle, and my love."

"I want you to take the child, and leave." Sarah said, but her voice faltered. Jareth knew her all to well, he knew what she wanted, what she desired.

Well, he was the granter of wishes, on top of everything else.

"As you wish," He smiled at her. "but you're coming with me, Ms. Williams, whether you like it or not."

"What, no!"

"Toby, gather your things, boy! We're leaving, the three of us!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Another quick thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! I read them all, and they mean a lot to me. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! xx.**

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_**"You're free to leave me **_

_**But just don't decive me**_

_**And believe me when I say **_

_**I love you."**_

_**-El Tango Roxanne, Moulin Rouge **_

* * *

When Sarah opened her eyes again, she was lying alone in her bed.

Her first thought was that Jareth had taken Toby and left her, and she threw her covers aside, running to the room across the hall with such haste that she almost fell flat on her face.

"Toby!" She screamed, throwing open the door.

The boy was sound asleep in his bed as well.

She shut his door, more quietly this time, and retreated to her own room. What had happened? The last thing she could remember was Jareth telling her that she had no choice, that she had to go to the Goblin Kingdom with him.

But, as Sarah walked through her apartment, the king was long gone. Not a single trace of glitter on her carpeted floors. She was safe, and Toby was as well.

Still, she wandered about his motives as she tucked herself back into bed. Had the Goblin King, the same one who made her fight his dangerous labyrinths for a baby she _accidentally _wished away, given up without a fight? It had seemed so.

At least, for another year, Toby would be safe.

Jareth sat on his large bed, alone like always. He had not confessed his love for her, he was determined not to be an open book this time, but he had done something worse. Jareth had showed her his desire, his desperation to have and keep her in his life. He had admitted to having a backup plan for their marriage, even if she did not complete the labyrinth. And then, when she had refused to come, he had threatened her.

But Jareth wasn't cruel, and even Sarah had to learn that. He would not take the child from her, not Toby, whom she fought his labyrinth for, who she raised herself, on her own.

There would be a time, of course, when he would have to come to the Goblin Kingdom, have to either accept that he would be king, or refuse the crown, leaving Jareth to find another heir. Deep down, he knew no heir would be better than Toby. The child had already proved he had the makings of a Goblin King, he was pure of heart and innocent-he was everything Jareth was not. And under Toby, although the kingdom would not be pushed to the political greatness it had under Jareth, it would thrive in a different way. Toby, like Sarah, would be dedicated to the people, to their wants and needs; he would make sure every farmer had the same acreage of land, that every student had the same opportunities.

That was why Jareth had not chosen to leave the kingdom to any future sons he may (or, most likely) may not have. They would be selfish, headstrong, and immature like him. Toby was all Sarah, through and through. And, like Sarah, Toby was brilliant.

Even now, Jareth thought, as Sarah lie in bed, she knows. She knows one day, within a year or two, Toby will have to come with me, and she wouldn't dare to send Toby alone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Yay, 10th chapter! Not a very exciting one, I warn you, but a game changer ;) And a quick thank you to ClockworldOwl13, I'm really glad you enjoy the song lyrics! I listen to a lot of indie and alternative, but I'm open to a lot of music. I try to pick quotes and songs that fit the chapter, mood, or situation the characters are in. If anybody feels there's a discrepancy between the two, feel free to leave a comment! xx. **

* * *

_**"It almost feels like a joke to play out the part  
When you are not the starring role in someone else's heart"**_

_**-Starring Role, Marina and the Diamonds**_

* * *

That morning, Sarah found herself doing what she always did when she needed help: knocking on Billy's door.

He didn't answer right away, but Sarah could hear him snoring inside.

"Come over for breakfast, Bill? I made pancakes." The door was open within seconds.

"Chocolate chip pancakes?"

"It can be done." Sarah smiled. "Seriously though, I need your help with something."

"Sarah," Billy said, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm not going to put together another bed for you, they're too damn hard."

"No no no!" Sarah laughed, and Billy laughed as well. "It's more of an advice thing, understand?"

"I'm shit at advice, you know that."

"Bill, you're the only one who can help-really. So come on in, and we can talk while I make your chocolate chip pancakes. Be quiet though, Toby's still asleep."

Billy sat down at the kitchen table, and Sarah turned on the stove, determined not to be distracted by the fact that Billy slept in only sweatpants, without a shirt.

"When I was younger, a friend was babysitting Toby. His name was Jar-uh, Jared. I met him, under, well, difficult circumstances. I thought he had kidnapped Toby, you see, and Jared entertained that idea-he challenged me with a game to see if I was worthy of winning him back."

"Woah, like intense monopoly?" Billy laughed.

"Well, something like it." Sarah laughed as well. "I won, and took the child and returned home. Jared came by to see me yesterday, and he said that all those years ago, in case I hadn't won the game, he had made Toby the heir to his...Okay, Jared's a prince."

"Plot twist," Billy muttered, biting into the first pancake. "These are good, by the way."

"He told me that Toby needed to return to live with him in his country, to learn how to rule the proper way. But, he wants me to come with him." I bit my lip. "And, I don't know what to do."

"Shit Sarah. Do you have a thing for this guy?" Billy said, laughing from deep within his chest somewhere. "You do, God, I can see it in your eyes."

"Maybe! I just...Jared's not a good guy, and I don't know if I can be involved with him again, understand? But at the same time, Toby has to go with him, and I don't want to let him go alone. Billy...I know Jared loves me, but I can't love him. Not after everything I saw my parents go through, and then Toby's parents...and, if we did start something, then Toby would have to watch us fight all the time, watch us fall apart."

"Sarah," Billy pulled me into a hug. "You can't shut people out because you're scared. What often happens in relationships is someone gets lazy, someone doesn't want to put in the time and effort anymore-and their partner wants to find someone who can. Sarah Williams, I have never known you to be lazy." He kissed her forehead. "Though, I will say I'll miss you, go be with this guy, and help Toby. Hell, if you do this for anyone, do it for Toby. You can't send him to live with this guy on his own, he'd freak out. You're literally all he knows, Sarah, and he needs you more than you need him."

Sarah muttered a thank you, her head buried into the taller man's chest, and her tears wetting his shirt.

"I'm gonna miss you, Billy. More than anything."

"Nah, you'll forget about me soon enough." He muttered, even though tears were stinging at his own eyes. "But hey, i can still come visit, right? it's not like this place is in the next universe."

"It just feels like it," Sarah giggled. "I'll come visit you all the time, I'll miss the beach."

Billy kissed her forehead, walking out of the apartment with a smile on his face, but tears in his eyes. Walking into his own apartment, he pulled a small box out of his pocket.

It looked like he wasn't the only one who loved Sarah-someone else had beaten him to the punch.


	11. Chapter 11

**Honororia Granger- Yeah, I realized that Billy's weight was unproportional right after I published the chapter. I dated a guy once who was 6'6 and he told me he weighed 200 pounds, so i was trying to base it off that. However, he wasn't a small guy and, knowing his track record, it was likely he lied to me. I went back and updated the chapter, changing it to 'well over 250 pounds.' xx.**

**Hope everyone enjoys this next chapter, and thank you for reading! xx.**

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_**"Home is when I'm alone with you."**_

_**-Home, Edward Sharpe**_

* * *

"Jareth!"

Her voice rang clear in his head, the only clear thought he'd had all morning. Conjuring up a crystal, he watched as she stood in front of her bedroom mirror, calling to him. The bed in the background was covered with bags, and Sarah had Toby in her arms.

"Would you like to try, Toby?" Sarah asked, looking at the little boy.

"Jareth! Please come play."

Within seconds, Jareth had forgotten all his duties as king, and appeared in Sarah's bedroom.

"You know, Sarah," He said, lounging back onto her bed. "It would have been easier to just wish yourself and Toby away."

"Jareth!" Toby screamed, jumping on the man in his haste to hug him. He had been rattled for the past day, wanting to hear more stories and play more games, and wondering what he did to make the Goblin King suddenly abandon him. "I missed you."

Sarah sat down on the bed next to them, just in time to hear Jareth mutter something along the lines of "missed you too," to the boy.

"How was I to know you would grant my wish?" She smiled, looking down at her feet. She was flirting, and she was probably doing a bad job of it, too. Not a lot of people asked out a girl raising a kid, so she was a bit out of practice.

"Sarah," He ran a hand along her cheek, sitting up so that he could get a better look at her. "I will always grant your wishes."

Jareth was angry at himself for not fighting his instincts, for flirting right back with the girl who would be his undoing. But it didn't matter as much now, because he had her. Sarah would be returning with them, if he was correct.

"Jareth," Toby said, demanding attention. "Sarah says we're going to move in with you, is that true?"

"Well Toby, I don't think your sister would lie to you."

"If we're still welcome," Sarah said, sucking in a deep breath. This was a big step for her, trusting men she didn't trust with her brother, allowing storybook villans to lead her into their world, their castle. "Then we'd like to take you up on your offer."

Jareth smiled, nodding.

"You are always welcome in the Goblin Kingdom, Toby, you are the heir to the throne. As for Sarah, well the goblins aren't very smart creatures, you see. They think Sarah is your mother. Now, they understand she's not your mother by birth and everything, but because you raised him, took care of him his whole life, they think of you as his stand-in mother, of sorts." Jareth said, looking at Sarah with a tedious look on his face. To his surprise, she took it very well.

"That would make sense." She said, standing up. Toby jumped off Jareth's lap, latching onto his big sister.

"When do we get to leave!" Toby screeched, making Jareth wince at the falsetto sound of his voice.

"You get used to it," Sarah admitted. "He ate some of Billy's leftover chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and the sugar's kicking in."

"Ah, well Toby, we can leave now, if you wish."

Sarah nodded, gathering her and Toby's things, as Jareth prepared to teleport them to the Goblin Castle.

Jareth looked at Sarah, a small smile on his face, he knew he had won. He had his heir now, and he had his champion too.


	12. Chapter 12

_**"That face of an angel **_

_**comes out just when you need it to."**_

_**-White Horse, Taylor Swift **_

* * *

There were a lot of things in the labyrinth Sarah had to get used to. It was different than her first visit here, as she was seen as a guest, not a rival. And, despite the castle overlooking the labyrinth, and the slight familiarity of the ballroom, it was as if it was her first time in the Goblin Kingdom. Obviously, Jareth hadn't held any grudges for her beating him, and if he did, he had done an excellent job of hiding it.

Toby attended classes with a tutor from eight in the morning until noon. He'd eat lunch with Sarah, and then Jareth, if he had time, would come and collect the two of them, allowing Sarah to sit in on her brother's lessons as Goblin Prince. That would last until Toby ran out of patience, like most five year olds do. Jareth had a good amount of tolerance for children, something that surprised Sarah. But then again, he wouldn't be king of the goblins if he didn't have a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Sarah," Jareth said one day, when Toby had run off to play with Hoggle and Ludo in the gardens of the Labyrinth. "You have been living in my castle for three weeks now, and I've heard not one complaint or request from you. This is not the same girl who ran my labyrinth, the one who claimed my games were unfair."

"I've changed, Jareth, I've grown up." Sarah shrugged. "I realize it hasn't been long since I saw you last, but think of everything that's happened to me since then, everything I've done."

"I'm not complaining, Sarah." Jareth said, raising her head up with one gloved finger so that her eyes met his. "You are not the girl I believed I loved, you are not the same girl who turned me down all those years ago. You are someone better now."

"...Wait, you fell in love with me?" Sarah said, her eyes growing wide as she took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I should have worded things better..."

"So you didn't love me." She looked relieved.

"I must admit, I still did." She looked as if she would run from him, but he grabbed her arm firmly, and she spun to look at him. "Sarah, you had beaten me. No one has ever done that before. You were brave and unafraid and...and you were my equal, Sarah, you had won. I did everything I could to keep you here, even made Toby my heir so you would have a reason to stay if you lost. But didn't lose, you won...and because of that, I wanted you even more."

"But you let me leave?"

"Did I have a choice?"

"Jareth, you knew what I was going back to, you had to have! All the drinking and the gambling and fighting, you really think I would have picked that over you?"

"I was the villain, Precious." Jareth looked at the ground, defeated.

"But you were the villain because I made you one." Sarah sighed, crossing the gardens to comfort him. "That makes you more of a hero than anyone else."

He looked down at her, his eyes hopeful, and she pressed her lips to his.

It was as good as she had imagined it, their tongues intertwining in the same dance they had preformed in the ballroom not so long ago, and he held her close to him.

"Sarah," Toby's questioning little voice interrupted.

"Shit," Sarah muttered, while Jareth laughed. "What's wrong, Toby?"

"Are you going to marry Jareth now, and make me a real prince?"

Jareth froze and Sarah blushed.

"Maybe," Sarah smiled up at Jareth, and he relaxed once again. Toby shrugged, being ignored, and toddled back off to play with his friends.

In the story of the labyrinth, Sarah had always thought she was the hero. The brave little girl who had beaten the villain and taken her prize, returning home in one piece just before dawn. But the story of the Labyrinth would have to be rewritten now, because the Goblin King was no villain after all, and he had taken the brave little champion, and gotten to keep her too.

_**THE END.**_

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**Thank you for all your reviews and everyone who stuck with this story! I'm so grateful for all of you! xx. **


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